from www.HonoluluTraffic.com

Borreca's column today is an interesting one but we do quibble with his following conclusion:

"... the anti-rail contingent has yet to show its own alternative traffic solution. Honolulu's real traffic jam is the city's inability to move a plan that has overwhelming public support."

First, we have proposed elevated Managed Lanes, a HOT lanes variant, in which buses and vanpools would have priority and the remaining space allotted to automobiles and trucks paying a variable toll such that traffic would be fast flowing but full. This would relieve traffic on H-1.

It was given a disdainful look by the City in the Final EIS because they wanted heavy rail but that is no excuse for the Star Advertiser not to mention it even once. This is especially so since HOT lanes is, excuse the pun, the hottest transportation alternative on the Mainland at this time. So we can propose it all we want but if Borreca's paper does not print a single word about it then, I guess, Borreca can be excused for not having heard about it. Maybe.

In addition, others have made proposals for Bus/Rapid Transit (BRT) systems and Kamehameha Schools proposed light rail. Our law suit asks the court to order the FTA and the City to follow the environmental statutes and "rigorously" examine all transit alternatives and possible routes to avoid Honolulu's sensitive historic areas and native Hawaiian burial sites. We do know that the incredibly ugly elevated heavy rail currently proposed would not survive the required process. We do not know which of the other alternatives would be found to be "the environmentally preferable alternative" but it would certainly not be elevated rail along our waterfront.

Second, regarding "overwhelming support," even the City's own poll released on June 1, showed that the "overwhelming" support only came from those 34 years or younger. Among adults 34 and older, those most likely to know what is going on politically, there was "overwhelming" opposition. Of course, Borreca can be excused from knowing that since his paper has never mentioned it. Strange.

We rather liked this in the comments section of Borreca's column

Top Ten Reasons The Great Pyramids Were Built Faster Than Rail

10. Surf's never up in Egypt

9. Egyptians benefited from Pyramid schemes of King TutenMadoff

8. They didn't have to go through Kalihi

7. No endless debate over the merits of elevated pyramids

6. All the "slaves" in Hawaii are already employed as public school teachers

5. Pyramid construction did not use Hawaii construction techniques such as the four-guys-watch-while-one-guy-works method

4. Everyone knows what a pyramid looks like from the back of a dollar bill, but nobody has any clue what Honolulu rail should look like.

3. As any Hawaii public high school graduate can tell you, it's easier to build things in Spain - or was that Italy? ok, maybe China?

2. Egyptians did not have to deal with the horrible tragedy of Zippy's upping prices and taking meatloaf off the rotating specials menu.

1. Pharaoh didn't blow all the money on useless "stimulus" programs - unlike a certain Punahou graduate